Roofs and flat roofs
The roof covering was viewed through binoculars from the garden. Why is that not the same as walking the slopes?
It is not the same because binoculars from the garden are a distant view, and walking the slopes is a close one. The covering was seen from the ground, enlarged by the glasses, not underfoot. Distant viewing misses hairline defects, the far slope, hidden valleys and the way a slate sits when you are on it. The survey records the limit. It has not inspected the covering as if the slopes had been walked, and it has not cleared the roof.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Binoculars help where a ladder would be unsafe or was not used, and they are a recognised way of seeing a roof from a distance. They do not let the surveyor feel a loose slate, look back at a ridge from above, or see a flat area hidden by a parapet. Weather, angle and planting all take more of the covering out of view. The limitation exists so a distant look is not later briefed as a walked inspection. What was not in the line of sight stays not inspected.
If you need the slopes walked, or a closer safe look agreed, that is a further instruction, not a reread of the binocular note. Tell the solicitor and any lender that the covering was viewed from the garden. Do not describe the roof as closely inspected. A roofer’s later visit, if you commission one, should say it got onto the slopes or explain why it did not. This report has already drawn that distinction.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- From which garden position were the binoculars used?
- Which slopes or details does the report say were not seen?
- What wording distinguishes this from a walked inspection?
What are the typical next steps?
- Brief the roof as viewed from the garden only.
- Do not describe the slopes as walked.
- Arrange a closer inspection if the covering must be seen underfoot.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a clear day make the binocular view as good as walking?
No. Clear weather improves a distant view. It does not put the surveyor on the slopes. Details you only see by standing on the covering, including how pieces are fixed, stay out of a garden inspection. The report used binoculars from the garden. That remains a different and lesser inspection than walking the roof.
Can the seller’s drone film replace the walked inspection inside this report?
No. A film shot by someone else does not rewrite this limitation. The survey viewed the covering through binoculars from the garden and did not walk the slopes. Drone footage, if it exists, is a separate piece of evidence. It is not the surveyor having been on the roof, and it should sit beside the report rather than inside the printed limit.